In September 2019, I highlighted the rot in Turkana West Sub-County Primary schools where the headteachers are using the refugee crisis to charge fees that are unaccounted for.
There’s new information, an analysis by a resident of Turkana West, concerning the schools in the area.
“A school such as Kakuma arid zone, they’ll collect more than Ksh.700, 000 termly unaccounted money. At Kakuma mixed, more than Ksh.300000 is collected. Pokotom school roughly collects 500,000/= and Kakuma girls 600,000/=’, said the source in September.
Hi Nyakundi,
After you highlighted how schools are managed in the above zone, heads have rolled. Though we haven’t heard of the headteacher who charges refugees fees in primary school like it’s a high school being transferred.
I have gone deep and here are my observations since your last expose’.
KAKUMA ARID PRIMARY SCHOOL
New refugees pay Ksh5000 as registration and then 3500 termly as boarding fees. If a pu[il is not from Turkana county, they have to part with Ksh1500 as boarding fees, yet this school gets good money from government allocation.
I recently visited and met very arrogant boys who just finished their O level (form four) and had scored poorly in KCSE, most less than a D with only one out of the five getting a B being used to teach the classes, while teachers comfortably in the teachers’ room. Teachers Service Commission (TSC) said no one without a TSC registration number should teach but this is Kenya. The headteacher has not been transferred and therefore impunity will go on.
KAKUMA MIXED PRIMARY SCHOOL
Though the headteacher has been transferred since your last expose’, I have a problem with the debt he had saddled the school with.
Being a greedy man, how sure are we that in his new station he won’t repeat the same.
Suppliers have been left with a bitter taste in their mouths as their complaints of making supplies with no or little payments have increased. The school board sat quietly chewing the money and sweat of suppliers with the rogue headteacher. I wish that even the school board should be dissolved since if they can’t oversee how money was being squandered; the headteacher should not carry the cross alone. How on earth can the Board of Management (BOM) om fail to pay workers who stay for months without pay and they enjoy their holiday as they have a salary? This opening week am sure money has been collected in registration, boarding and exam fees, will this be handed over to the incoming headteacher.
POKOTOM PRIMARY SCHOOL
The headteacher here has been transferred out of town too. As much as most people are happy especially the community related to the secondary school he started, where he is going, rumour has is that it’s a security threat to him having served there long ago.
One thing he should know is never bite a hand that once fed you as it’s said he denied the high school students desks, charged the school food yet they fed on primary food meaning pocketing all the money. He too left the school with debt, and the same question asked above for Kakuma Mixed Primary School aplies.
KAKUMA GIRLS
The head teacher here has not been transferred. From your last expose, the figures for this school were beyond normal. From that time I have learnt of the four schools, you exposed hers is an exception since I haven’t met any supplier complaining of having not been paid so it’s either she pays them promptly or she buys goods herself kudos for financial management.
